Automatic casting rod



Dec. 3, i968 v. KRAGH AUTOMATIC CASTING ROD 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June2l, 1967 lav Inventor Viggo/agh B nf y/ Attorney V. KRAGH Dec. 3, 1968AUTOMATIC CASTING ROD FIG. 2

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2l, 1967 3,413,748 AUTOMATIC CASTING RGDViggo Kragh, General Delivery, Hollister, Mo.

Filed .lime 21, 1967, Ser. No. 647,793 10 IClaims. (Cl. 43-19) ABSTRACTF THE DISCLDSURE A casting rod having a journal section and a rodportion rotatable in the section about an axis extending longitudinallyof the rod, the rod having an outer end offset radially from the axisand supporting a line with a lure, a spring wound about the inner end ofthe rod for rapidly accelerating the rod to swing the lure in an arc anda stop for abruptly decelerating rotation of the rod to accentuatecasting of the lure.

Field of the invention A general object of the instant invention is toprovide a novel, simple and effective automatic casting rod.

A further object is to provide a rod in which the energy to drive themechanism may be easily restored after each cast.`

Another object is to devise a novel casting rod which rotates about itslongitudinal axis and which casts the bait by gaining velocity throughacceleration in an orbit.

These and other objects will become more readily apparent from thespecification and the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of my novel rod;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view taken on line2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a broken apart enlarged longitudinal sectional view takensubstantially on line 3-3 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE3; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially on line5 5 of FIGURE 2.

Description of the invention The casting rod generally designated 2 hasthe pole sections 3 with eyes 3a threading a line 4 which extends beyondthe flexible thin outer end portion 5 and connects to a leader 6 whichcarries the weighted fly or lure 7.

The inner end 9 of the line 4 is wound in a spin casting reel 10 whichis suitably mounted on the handle or hand grip 12.

The inner cylindrical end 13 of the rod is mounted in a bearing 14 whichis secured thereto by a locking ring 15 threaded onto the split ends 16of the bearing 14.

The inner end portion 18 of bearing 14 is rotatably mounted in a quillor sleeve or hub portion 19 of a gear 20 of a wind-up gearing generallydesignated 22 which ts within a casing 23 and from the upper open end 24of which extends the inner end portion 13 of the rod.

The bevel gear 20 is formed at the lower end of the sleeve 19 and may beformed integral with or press tted to a stub shaft 25 which is journaledin a bearing 26 pressed into a bore 27 in a sleeve 28 formed centrallyon the upper end portion 29 of a hand grip section 30.

nited States Patent O Patented Dec. 3, 1968 lCe The portion 29 isstepped inwardly at 32 and is threaded at 33 and threads into theinternal threads 34 formed in the interior 35 of the lower end portion36 of the casing 23. The portion 29 of the handgrip provides a shoulderat 38 which tightly abuts the lower edge 39 of the casing 23.

A lateral cylindrical journal structure 40 is formed integral with thecasing 23 and provides a bore 41 mounting the bearing portion 42 of thecrank element 43 which has a shank or throw 44 connected to portion 42and a crank handle 45 at its outer end. The bearing portion 42 may havean annular peripheral locking groove 46 therein for admitting the innerend 47 of a locking screw 48 threaded into the structure 40. Interiorlythe bearing portion 42 of the crank is hollowed to provide a bore 49which admits a shaft 50 of a driving gear which has a gear portion 51meshing with gear 20.

The bore 49 of bearing portion 42 of the crank admits a spring type oneway clutch 55 therein which has a radial end 56 secured in an opening at57 to portion 42. As well known in the art such a clutch upon rotationof the handle wraps the spring portion 58 tightly to the shaft 50 whichrotates the gear 51 which in turn rotates the larger bevel gear 20 in adirection as shown by the arrow 5S in FIGURE 3.

Such rotation of gear 20 causes the hub or sleeve 19 to rotate in thesame direction which drives the peripheral ratchet wheel 60 in the samedirection. The teeth 61 of the ratchet wheel 60 escape over the holdingpawl 62 which is spring biased into engagement with the ratchet wheel bya torsion spring 64 which has its coil portion mounted on the pin 65 onthe housing which pin pivotally mounts the pawl 62 on the casing 23 forpivotal movement transversely of the sleeve 19. One leg 66 of spring 64engages the side 67 of the pawl and the other leg 68 reacts against anopposing housing portion 69.

The pawl 62 engages a push button 71 projecting out of the housingthrough an opening 72 for convenient operation by the user and isadapted to be pressed inwardly to release t'ne ratchet wheel to permitthe rod to rotate under the rapid acceleration developed by the highlystressed torsion spring 73 which is pocketed within an annular groove 75formed on the periphery of sleeve 19 intermediate its ends. The spring73 has an inner radially inwardly bent end portion 76 anchored in a slot76' in the sleeve and the outer end has a radially outwardly bentportion 77 anchored in a slot 79 in the casing.

The sleeve 19 is provided intermediate the helical spring 73 and theratchet wheel with a pair of locking screws 80, 31 which are threaded at82, 83 through the sleeve and have inner end portions 84, extending intoa peripheral groove 87 in the inner end portion 88 of the bearing sleeve14. The bearing 14 and thus the rod are free to rotate.

A one way torsion clutch spring 90 is sleeved over the bearing element14 and is nested within the upper end portion 92 of the sleeve 19. Thespring 90 has a radial end portion 93 keyed via an opening 94 in portion92 to sleeve 19.

Portion 92 lits into a bearing 95 in the upper part of the casing, thebearing 95 and the shaft 25 being coaxial longitudinally of the rod.

The bearing 14 as encompassed intermediate its ends by the coil portion96 of a return torsion spring 97 is of much less capacity than spring73. Spring 97 has one end 98 secured to housing 23 and the other end 99secured in a bore 100 in the bearing 14` A combination limiting andlocking pin 101 extends through a transverse bore 102 in the bearing 14and the portion 13 of the casting rod and is held in place by the nut15.

In the cocked position of the driving means, the extended end 105 of thepin 101 abuts an axially extending abutment surface 104 of the housingand upon release of the pawl 62, the rod swings circumferentially asshown by the arrow in FIGURES 1 and 3 and the flexible rod displaces itsouter end radially of its axis of rotation whereby casting the lure 7 ina looping arc outwardly while unreeling the line from the reel 10.

The rotation of the rod is abruptly stopped by the pin end 105 snappinginto the spring loaded latch 106 which comprises a notched keeper 107pivoted at 108 to the housing 23 within a slot 109 in the outer lip 110thereof. The latch 106 has a thumb release portion 112 which is adaptedto be pressed to release the pin 101 after the lure is reeled in.Thereupon the return spring 97 rotates the rod to its initial positionas shown in FIGURE 3 inasmuch as the bearing 14 is declutched fromclutch spring 90.

In order to condition the casting rod to operating position the crankelement 43 is rotated in a direction tightly Winding the clutch spring58 to the shaft 50 thus turning gear 51 which in turn rotates gear 20and the quill 19 thereof in a direction winding the rod-whipping spring73 while the teeth 61 of ratchet wheel 60 escapes over the pawl 60. Whenthe spring 73 is tightly wound, the operator to cast the bait, pressesthe button 71 which releases the pawl 62 from the ratchet wheel 60whereupon the quill 19 rotates and drives the clutch 90 which drivesbearing 14 and the rod 2 whips around until the stop 105 joins into thekeeper 107. This abrupt stop accentuates and directs the throw of thelure 7.

The procedure for return of the rod has been described.

It will be understood that the terms plug or lure are intended to coverany type of weighted means including live or articial bait.

I claim:

1. An automatic casting rod comprising a rod section, journal meansrotatably supporting said rod section for rotation about itslongitudinal axis, said rod section having an outer end portion andbeing flexible and adapted to bend to position its outer end portionoffset trans-axially from said axis of rotation of the rod section, saidrod section having means for carrying a line with a casting weightedmeans hung from said outer end portion, and means for rapidlyaccelerating and decelerating rotation of the rod section for swingingsaid outer end portion in an arc and thus concomitantly slinging saidweighted means away from the rod.

2. The invention according to claim 1 and selectively actuatable meansreactively disposed between said rod section and the journal means forreturning said rod section to an initial position.

3. The invention according to claim 1 and said means for deceleratingthe rod comprising latch means, and an element swingable with said rodsection engageable with said latch means.

4. The invention according to claim 1 and housing means about thejournal means, and said means for accelerating said rod sectioncomprising spring means reactively stressed between said journal meansand the housing, and means for releasably holding said journal meansfrom yrotation with the spring means in stressed conditlon.

5. The invention according to claim 1 and said rod section comprising aninner end portion and said journal means comprising a bearing connectedto said inner end portion, a casing, a driving quill journalled in thecasing, spring means reactively disposed between the quill and casing,and clutch means between said bearing and the quill.

6. The invention according to claim 5 and crank operated gear meansdrivingly associated with the quill for winding up said spring means.

7. The invention according to claim 6 and means for releasably holdingsaid quill against rotation in the direction unwinding said springmeans.

8. The invention according to claim 1 and a housing for the journalmeans and said means for accelerating rotation of the rod sectioncomprising torsionally Wound spring means connected to the journal meansand housing, and return spring means of less capacity than saidrstmentioned spring means torsionally reactive between the housing androd section, and one way clutch means connected between the journalmeans and the rod section.

9. The invention according to claim 8 and a ratchet on the journal meansand a holding pawl on the housing cooperable with the ratchet forreleasably holding said journal means with the spring means in woundcondition.

10. The invention according to claim 8 and a laterally extending elementconnected to the rod section, and the housing having a stop in the pathof movement of the element in one direction, and abutment means on thehousing spaced angularly from the stop in the path of movement of theelement in the opposite direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,662,329 12/1953 Henry 43-193,217,442 11/1965 Nygren 43--19 WARNER H. CAMP, Primary Examiner.

